Enhancing bilateral cooperation is crucial for Taiwan and Paraguay to address the threat of authoritarian expansionism amid rapid global change, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday at an event welcoming a delegation of lawmakers headed by Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Raul Latorre.
Working together, Taiwan and Paraguay can overcome the challenges of a new era, defend freedom and democracy, and make greater contributions to global peace and prosperity, Lai told the meeting at the Presidential Office in Taipei.
He thanked the delegation for visiting Taiwan to attend tomorrow’s Double Ten National Day events, calling it an act of goodwill and friendship.
Photo: CNA
Lai in 2023 attended Paraguayan President Santiago Pena’s inauguration ceremony as the then-vice president, sharing a table with Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Juan Manuel Anazco at a state banquet, he said.
Latorre has been a good friend of Taiwan, voicing support for the nation at numerous international events, and attending Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim’s (蕭美琴) inauguration last year, he said.
Pena earlier this year supported Taiwan’s participation in the UN and other international organizations at the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, while the Paraguayan legislature on multiple occasions backed the nation’s bid to meaningfully participate in global bodies, Lai said.
Taiwan was moved by Pena’s comments at the UN, urging world leaders to admit Taiwan as a full member and calling the nation’s participation a matter of justice, he said.
Latorre said that Paraguay stands firmly beside Taiwan and that Asuncion is committed to deepening the bonds of brotherhood between the two nations.
A total of 204 foreign dignitaries are to take part in tomorrow’s National Day celebrations, including delegations from diplomatic allies Belize, led by Belizean Governor-General Dame Froyla Tzalam, and Saint Lucia, led by Saint Lucian Governor-General Sir Cyril Charles, as well as Paraguay, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
The guests include 120 members of visiting foreign delegations and 74 foreign representatives currently stationed in Taiwan, along with their spouses, it said.
Fifty-five of the visiting delegates are from the Asia-Pacific region, 26 are from Latin America and the Caribbean, and 17 are from Europe. The group also includes 16 foreign journalists and six representatives from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, of which Taiwan has been a non-regional member since 1992.
A Swedish parliamentary delegation, a delegation of local Japanese political leaders and a group of participants in the European Valued Important Partnership program are also to join the celebrations, the ministry said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
RSS